Appreciating your goodness and harvesting rocks

Wow. You guys are incredible. I can’t begin to express how much your comments and emails about the New York Times discussion board kerfuffle meant to me. Thank you, thank you!!! I am blessed to have such kind readers and friends!

Because of the stress from the past six months of travel, and losing my Simon & Schuster editor (he was laid off last week – I am still too upset to blog about it rationally), and everything else, I’ve been mostly gardening this week. Despite the soothing effect of attacking the boulders in my garden with an iron bar, pick axe, and rototiller, I am still having nightmares about zombies. Go figure.

But the rocks are slowly yielding, seeds are being planted, and I have no doubt that the zombies will soon crawl back to where they belong.

Cottage Update!!!

While I’ve been wielding my pick axe, BH and his tribe of elves have been hard at work at the cottage.

This is the interior of the north end. The windows are up high because there will be bookshelves underneath them.

They have put the Magic Window in place in the south wall, and filled in the gaps around it. The glass guy is supposed to be here this weekend. He’ll install the clear, insulated, UV-filtering glass – can’t afford stained glass yet – someday!!

The insulation crew did their job this week, Coler Natural Insulation of Ionia, NY. Their spray-foam insulation is based, in part, on soybean oil and is a healthier choice for both me and the environment.

Insulation guy at work! The cottage is much, much quieter with the insulation in place. Next step, along with the glass being put in place, is for BH to put up the ceiling and interior walls.

The cottage is enchanting. I sympathize with you about the zombie dreams. I’ve been having some strange dreams myself lately. I keep dreaming that I can not speak and my hair keeps changing similar to that of Tonks in Harry Potter. Not sure what that is all about! So sorry to hear about your editor. That sinks!

And FYI – depending on how you decide t do the stained glass, it need not be ridiculously expensive. If you want every panel to be the same, yes, but you can also have smaller, less established (but just as talented) artists do it, and it will cost less. I have known a couple who did beautiful work, but whose prices were not outrageous.

Hey, maybe the zombies want you to write about them. That would be cool.

Several months ago, I was watching a show on HGTV, and they had a stained glass effect on a lamp by sketching out a pattern and painting on color. I’m not sure if this would work on window glass or not, but if it works it might be a way to get your stained glass which you so deserve.

If you’re still fighting zombies, you’re welcome to come plant my garden in Vermont any time. It’s tilled. I’ve got seeds. I’ve got organic fertilizer. What I don’t have is time. I may end up being a Memorial Day weekend gardener, when the peas should have been in last week or the week before. Sigh.

Hi Laurie–I’m so sorry about your editor. Blech. These are such tough times. Congrats on the awards though, and yes, that conversation at NYT is very interesting. So many of my favorite YA novels are controversial–I think that’s unfortunately the way of the world.

in anticipation of meeting you tomorrow i took today off from the series ive been working through and read wintergirls, so as to be able to follow whats said at river’s end. (it was next on my reading list anyway, but i started working through the series before wintergirls came out, and well, just hadnt gotten there yet.)

all that to say: WOW. all of your books are intense and really take you to the mental state of your lead characters, and i am obsessed with your writing. wintergirls doesnt leave me with gaps to breathe in. my heart has been pounding, and my breathing shallow, all day. so intense and wonderful and overwhelming and WOW.

Sorry to hear about losing your editor–
I obviously don’t know the whole story and I don’t mean to assume OR make you angry on the subject but…..
wouldn’t it be possible to pay him on your own (on a freelance-type arrangement) whenever you have a new project, especially if you like the job he does with your works? (and maybe several other writers could do the same?)
I should think he might appreciate the extra income especially if over the next chunk of time he might have trouble finding work
This way when you turn in your work (officially) TO the publisher, it will be as highly polished as they need it to be anyway for the replacement editor.
(Unless of course there may be contractual considerations you might be obligated to honor and that, would indeed, be tough on you as well as other writers. Again– I am not fully versed on the behind the scenes requirements- just trying to be helpful in some small way)

The magic window is beautiful. And I wish you good luck banishing the zombies with your pick axe. As for the job market, I think freelancing, and small, solo businesses are going to have to fill in the gaps as the big corporations are cutting off limbs–I am finding this to be true as a newly self-employed attorney. Even if employing your editor is not an option due to contractual considerations, perhaps others can give your editor some freelance work…
–Lettie

A few weeks ago I took a road trip to my roommate’s home in Hubbardston MA and we were passing the church when I happened to notice the window in the front–I made her stop so I could get out and look, and sure enough, it was your magic window! I wish I could have taken a picture for you, but all I had was my crappy cell phone camera that wouldn’t have taken a good shot. I just figured I’d tell you!

I’m hoping to read Wintergirls soon. Only two more days of papers and finals and then I can FINALLY get a break! 🙂

Oh, and I did have a quick question–I heard that you’ll be at ALA in Chicago in July, and I was wondering if you knew yet which days you’ll be attending. Will you be signing books, or just speaking at the conference? Thank you so much for any information! 🙂